KIM WOODS

Lindsey McNeil

In the play Macbeth, there are many conflicts. One main conflict that I see present in Macbeth is Character vs. Self (Internal conflict). Macbeth finds himself struggling with the decision to murder Duncan, and the constant pressure put upon him by Lady Macbeth only adds to the internal conflict Macbeth experiences throughout the play. Once Macbeth murders Duncan, he is struck with an overwhelming amount of guilt. Because Macbeth feels guilty for Duncan's death, this causes an extreme amount of remorse, eventually sending him into a negative mental state. Once Banquo is killed, the internal conflicts within Macbeth get worse. Macbeth begins hallucinating and hearing voices, a common sign of internal struggles. Macbeth's development in the story changes from a confident ruler to a naive, insecure, and broken man.
The Macbeth vs. Macbeth conflict develops well throughout the course of the play. Irony is a perfect example of a literary technique that aided well in the development of internal conflict. In Act 1, Scene 4, Duncan tells Macbeth that he trusts him, which is ironic considering Macbeth killed him. Another example of a literary technique that helped the development of conflict in Macbeth is foreshadowing. When Macbeth murders Duncan, he knows that he will pay for it somehow. This is foreshadowing to when Macbeth has a loss of sleep, and his mental state begins to slip. 
The internal conflict Macbeth experiences can be related to human nature and human condition because he mentally declines after committing murder. The human conscious feels guilt, and anyone with a conscious should feel guilty after a murder.

Esperanza Mosley


A conflict present in Macbeth had several conflicts one is Individual verses Self. He had a conflict with himself when he decides he no longers wishes to murder Duncan.

A key conflict in the play and how it corresponds to a character's development is that Macbeth see people as a obstacle to his ambition, which include Banquo, Duncan, Malcolm, & Macduff which relates to the character of the story.

Two literary techniques and elements are Rising Action - Macbeth and Banquo's encounter with the witches initiates both conflicts; Lady Macbeth's speeches coach Macbeth into murdering Duncan and seizing the crown.

Falling Action - Macbeth's increasingly brutal muders of Duncan's servants, Banquo, Lady Macduff and her son; Macbeth's second metting with the witches; Macbeth's final confrontation with Macduff and the opposing armies.


The conflict brave disdaining fortune, Shakespeare uses descriptive details that appeal to the audience's expectations and imagination. Duncan's captain describes Macbeth as "disdaining fortune" which proves to be ironic since Macbeth's tragic flaws in his ambition.